Alexander: Back To Business Quickly On Capitol Hill

If you think yesterday's events will ease the partisan gridlock on Capitol Hill for a long time going forward, think again. On CNN Sunday morning, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said Congress will return to business as usual quickly.

"For the next few days, obviously it's going to affect our agenda," Alexander acknowledged. "The House of Representatives has already said they're not going to vote on repealing the health care law now. So we need to stop pause and reflect."

"But then I think we're back to business," he added.

Alexander wasn't just referring to health care repeal. He said members of Congress should return to normal outreach right away, to provide constituents with a sense that the government will continue to function normally in the wake of the shooting.

About The Author

Brian Beutler is TPM's senior congressional reporter. Since 2009, he's led coverage of health care reform, Wall Street reform, taxes, the GOP budget, the government shutdown fight and the debt limit fight. He can be reached at brian@talkingpointsmemo.com